I think that you are understanding me. What I'd like to do is just cut all of the pocket walls in a pocket in one operation that has one continuous move technically following the edge at the bottom of the pocket. The reason being to cut down on air time.. I have seen a catia generated tool path do what I am after.. I just cannot figure it out in mastercam without rounding out the edges where the fillet intersections meet the floor.

Ok, I got it on there. I had to remove most all of the part.. I left the pocket walls.. and swarf line work, and extra tool paths. The file is on the ftp in X5 files as; OP20 SWARF try 2.MCX-5. Any help would be really appreciated! Thanks

Does anyone have any idea how to fix work around this? Any?

http://i747.photobucket.com/albums/xx113/alanu23/SWARFNOTWORKINGFORME.jpg Help! Ok so I have been making these parts for a couple of years and I swarf cut the insides of the pockets. its works good for me. The way that I have been setting up the tool path is to draw linework on the walls of the pockets as shown above the radius.. and select my floor as the compensation surface to use as the tip control. What ends up happening is when the tool gets passed the radius on the walls it follows the breakout and rounds over the radius transition at the bottom circled in red scrapping the part.. As a result I end up breaking the tool path down into individual swarf tool paths. kindof time consuming because a part like this usually ends up having 10 or more swarf tool paths when it could only have one. Does anyone have any ideas as to what I might be doing wrong.. or what I might be able to do differently to fix this? I know it can work.. We have a catia programmer who does it the way I want to.. Is this possible in mastercam? any help would be appreciated. Alan

How about this... Will Nx or machsim allow me to M0, pallet change as well as clamp change. How about a horizontal machine utilizing 4 ops, two programs, M0's clamp changes, hardware addition and removal, one in process piece of stock throughout the whole simulation, wrapped up in one nice neat and tidy part file. When completed and verified allows me to check thicknesses and feature locations in comparison to the original model? As well as if something isn't perfect electronically I can tweak the actual gcode/program in question within that same single part file? Vericut does!

The Favorites folders doesn't work so hot if you are using an external hard drive.. Drive letter changes.. I recently posted something about having to navigate through countless folders all the time, then someone posted about the recent files drop down... If only I would have known about that 2 years ago!! I was so frustrated to learn this though, nothing like knowing you have wasted x amount of hours when the convenience is right in front of your face..

I have been thinking about this too. After using Vericut I have been won over with the "working directory" fuction, For just this purpose. As well as many others. I have been thinking about putting this on the mastercam improvements forum.. Or is there already a simalar function available? I'm pretty quick with a mouse, but should I have to be? I would hate to think how much time I spend "navigating through folders" over and over to save different types of files in specific locations.

We have the same issue where I work. 3 HMC Moris 3 256 cards, and 3 different readers... Sometimes they work like a charm, other times we have to switch readers.. sometimes we end up plugging and unplugging the devices for 20+ minutes to get it to read. If all else fails, machine restart.. You never know whats going to happen. We used to use palm V.. took too long.. I honestly don't know what is quicker nowadays, but I am glad I don't have to put the programs on the machines personally!!!

I agree with SKIR68. I don't save anything to my computer anymore unless I don't mind losing it. Who here hasn't been burned? As preventative measure, I save EVERYTHING to an external hdd. Then backup zip to the server, backup zip to my 2nd hdd on my work computer, as well as on my 2nd hdd at home. Also backup zip dvd-r stored in a fireproof safe. As well as encrypted zip to an online server.. And then update bi-monthly. I will never lose 100% again.. short of a nuclear blast in my town and then EMP's world wide...

Is the programmer going to have to stay up for 36 straight to pull it off in time? Or.. Does the programmer already have so much scat to do that he can't even see straight as it is. "easy button" I've been hearing that for a long time.. Still have yet to find it.

Time for a vacation.

Do you post them as top front to get your nc? Then switch it to front front to bring into vericut?

So basically on more complex parts with top front front wcs the only thing you use the interface for is to load your nc, machine and control? then put your fixture and stock in and rotate them? Seems like there has to be a way to get the full benifit out of the interface.

Anyone using mastercam to vericut interface with X4 on 4 and 5 axis programs? We just purchased it, and the vericut trainer set it up on 3 axis parts. worked like a charm if you have your tool planes set up top top top. but what about on say a horizontal part where I use top front front? when I bring it stuff into Vericut it always wants to put the part in as I set it up with the wcs in matching mastercam which is not situated right on the machine. Is there a setting in mastercam which will export top front front to basically top top top, do I have to trick it? I'm lost, and until I figure it out I will just keep on setting up my vericut sessions for 4 and 5 axis programs in Vericut alone. any advice would be greatly appreciated! [ 06-21-2010, 11:26 AM: Message edited by: alanu23 ]

thanks Jparis, learn something new everyday! that will be handy!

Jeff2005 has a good idea. It would be nice to get an email notification when someone answers your posts. Instead of having to click refresh over and over "patiently" waiting for a response. And if you could select whether or not you want to get an email notification on certain topics, because I know there are people on here that have 100s if not 1000s of topics started. This way those people could pick and choose which old topics to recieve email alerts about.

I think you might be right gcode, I checked and the 4th axis is set to z, but the other options are not selectable. I checked my machine def, and z+ is my "axis of rotation" in my WCS is this correct? I tried changing from to front front to top top top, didn't seem to help. but Still this could have something to do with it. I wouldn't my machine def be set to rotate around y? This was a mach def./ post that I got from my reseller, so of course I have to fight my way through it.

yah, top front front.

Neither have I.

I am trying to through a swarf toolpath on this and 7 other pockets with a 4 axis horizontal, everything looks alright in mastercam as shown on the right, but when I post it comes out looking like the picture on the left which is sortof a zig zag simultanious 4 axis ramp thing, throught maybe it was my backplotter; cnc discriminator, but then I threw it at vericut and it was a fail. When it zigzags back and forth not only is it cutting through my part walls, but the fixture and t plate as well. Anyone else ever seen this? I thought that maybe it was my post so I tried a few other 4 axis posts, even some 5 axis stuff. still doesn't work. Any one have any ideas?

but it will look spectacular on my resume

nope. i know...

re-clamped? it actually didn't spring what I thought it would. we will see what happens when I cut .100 off of the wall thicknesses.

LOL, well my boss wanted to take it off to run it across the cmm, I guess to make sure the part is still in there somewhere.

programming/tooling design/ vericut prove outs/ and countless post and control mods on a brand new post.. so far I would say about 80 to 100 hours. probably have about 50 more to go. Machine time so far is about 5 to 7 hours.